The General Services Administration launched a new schedule line on Oct. 1 to centralize its professional services offerings. As agencies and vendors get used to ordering off the new schedule, Project Manager Kathy Jocoy answered nine of the most pressing questions in a recent blog post.
Check out abridged versions of the questions and answers below and see the full blog on GSA's Interact site.
1. What Schedules were impacted by the establishment of the new Professional Services Schedule?
- Schedule 520 Financial and Business Solutions (FABS)
- Schedule 541 Advertising and Integrated Marketing Services (AIMS)
- Schedule 738II Language Services
- Schedule 871 Professional Engineering Services (PES)
- Schedule 874 Mission Oriented Business Integrated Services (MOBIS)
- Schedule 874V Logistics Worldwide (Logworld)
- Schedule 899 Environmental Services
- Schedule 00CORP Consolidated (now the Professional Services Schedule)
2. How were these Schedule contracts impacted?
On Oct. 1, 2015, the above-referenced eight Schedules were consolidated into one single Professional Services Schedule (PSS). Contracting Officers will see the same SIN structure but under one Schedule instead of eight. The new PSS provides access to the same professional services and contractors, but in one single Schedule contract.
To achieve this transformation GSA took two administrative actions:
- Contractors who held two or more legacy Schedule contracts had their contracts merged into one — the new Professional Services Schedule (00CORP). Bilateral modifications for 343 impacted companies were completed and each company was issued one new PSS contract number. Additionally, the period of performance for these contracts was refreshed, for a base five-year period with three five-year options.
- Contractors who held one single Schedule contract only (3,519 contractors) were transferred to the new Professional Services Schedule (00CORP) through a unilateral modification on Oct. 1, 2015. Contract numbers, SINS, pricing and size status for these contractors were unchanged. The period of performance for these contracts remains unchanged as well.
3. What changes will Contracting Officers see in GSA e-Library?
Contracting Officers will see two changes in GSA e-Library:
- All professional services available under the GSA Schedules program are now found under the Professional Services Schedule (PSS) program (00CORP).
- Currently there are two sets of SINs (C874-1 and 874-1); however, the scope for both SINs is identical. Those SINs identified with a "C" prefix will be deleted on Jan. 1, 2016. Until then all agencies will use the SIN without the "C" prefix. Note those firms who were awarded contracts with the "C" prefix can be found under the SIN without the C SIN.
After Jan. 1, 2016, only the complementary SINs (C132-5, C595-21, C871-202, C871-207, C 871-208 and C871-211) will be identified with a "C" designator.
4. What changes will be made in GSA eBuy?
For services included in the PSS (00CORP), contracting officers will only be able to issue an RFQ under the 00CORP solicitation #FCO00CORP0000C. Contracting officers should select the SIN without the "C" to ensure that the RFQ is reaching all contractors that are awarded the SIN.
5. If a company was affected by the "migration" process, how will federal customers know what contract number to use? Will the replacement contract number be in FPDS?
If a firm had two or more contracts under any of the affected Schedules, they were required to "migrate" their contract into a 00CORP contract. The contract number is designated with a "GS-00F" contract number that resulted from the migration process.
In e-Library, the GSA Advantage text file for any contractor that was affected by the migration process will contain the following advisory statement and matrix at the top: The replacement contract number will be in FPDS.
6. What happens to the awarded Task Orders under a single Schedule that was migrated?
Task orders issued against a Schedule contract prior to the completion of the migration shall be completed in accordance with the terms and conditions of Clause 52.216-22 INDEFINITE QUANTITY OCT 1995 (DEVIATION I—JAN 1994), paragraph (d) unless terminated by the ordering activity.
7. What happens to the BPAs that were established?
Contracting officers have two suggested options for handling BPAs that have already been established:
First, the Contracting officer can document an administrative change in the BPA's referenced Schedule contract number. A change in a BPA's referenced Schedule contract number (also known as a contract designator) does not change the terms and conditions of a BPA or the GSA contract at the Schedule contract level. This administrative change is documented by an approved Memo to File. As most systems cannot accommodate an administrative change of the referenced Schedule contract number, a replacement BPA number will be established referencing the replacement Schedule contract number. If your individual agency guidelines require a J&A and/or D&F for this administrative change to your BPA, contact kimberly.mcfall@gsa.gov for sample copies of these documents.
OR
Leave BPA as is. Note it will expire when BPA expires or single schedule expires (no options exercised), whichever occurs first unless otherwise agreed to by the ordering agency and the GSA Contracts Operation Division.
8. What is the most important take away from the above?
Federal agencies can find the same quality professional services from the same quality firms with absolutely no change to their pre-existing contract(s).
9. Where can customers find more information about PSS?
Details about the new Professional Services Schedule (PSS) are available at www.gsa.gov/psschedule. GSA is also hosting informational monthly industry webinars on the PSS transition. See interact.gsa.gov/groups/professionalservicescategory for specifics.
If you have any questions regarding GSA's Professional Services Schedule initiative, please send an email to professionalservices@gsa.gov.
Aaron Boyd is an awarding-winning journalist currently serving as editor of Federal Times — a Washington, D.C. institution covering federal workforce and contracting for more than 50 years — and Fifth Domain — a news and information hub focused on cybersecurity and cyberwar from a civilian, military and international perspective.
